ABSTRACT
This chapter explains the three divisions of child health care programs: personal medical and preventive services, population-based community health services, and health-related support services. It lists the prevalent chronic conditions affecting the elderly. The chapter explains the varieties of care required by acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients. It also provides the types of modifiable risk factors that result in chronic disease: physical activity, nutrition, smoking, and alcohol. In United States, certain special populations have a more difficult time accessing health care services, and therefore are at higher risk of having poor health. These special populations include children, women, minorities, elderly, HIV/AIDS patients, chronically ill, and homeless people. Culturally competent care can be explained as providing health care that is sensitive to the values of patients that are based on their particular ethnic or religious backgrounds. Barriers to health care for people with disabilities include excessive costs, limited availability of services, physical barriers, and inadequate skills of health care workers.
